


The Temp

by Project0506



Series: Soft Wars [23]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Brothers, Clones, Gen, Humor, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23560222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506
Summary: Ponds needs Bly to cover for him at work.  His general won't even be in the office.  It's foolproof.
Series: Soft Wars [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1683775
Comments: 27
Kudos: 690





	The Temp

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Prime Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23492509) by [Project0506](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506). 



> A humorous little palate cleanser

A mug appears at Bly’s elbow, heavily fragrant and still steaming. The complex blend of spices are comforting in their familiarity. It’s Rylothi, named something with too many high pitched clicks for Bly’s human throat to pronounce. General Secura is particularly fond of it.

Ponds hates tea.

Bly looks at it, meets the calm gaze of Ponds’ general and groans. “How long have you known sir?” he tugs off Ponds’ helmet and runs a hand over his strangely cold head.

“First holocall,” General Windu admits. “You managed his tone well, but you put stresses on different words in your typical speaking cadence.”

That was… Bly checks the schedule… 6th hour. The chrono reads just past 19th. If General Windu was a brother, Bly would have some choice karking words for him right about now.

“Clever though,” Windu continues. “Pulling this when I’d be out of the temple all day. If I hadn’t needed to call in for that report, you probably wouldn’t have been caught.” He takes the visitor’s chair easily and sips his own tea. He’s got a pure sabacc face, but the curls of his fingers, to Bly, read amused.

“It wasn’t my idea,” he grouses. The tea is well made, perfectly steeped.

“If your idea of a good way to spend your leave is shaving your head and covering admin work for Ponds, I’d have to ask you to get checked out before being allowed back on duty. Even _Ponds_ won’t spend his time off anywhere near here.”

Bly grunts. Fair. Today had been a nightmare.

Or. Had it?

He carefully lowers his cup to the desk and folds his hands. “General Windu,” he says. “Did you actually need the ‘file from that one senator on outposts in that one place between rims’?” he asks.

Windu, somehow, becomes even more serene. “Your research into property rights on Takodana was very useful,” he assures. “I am sure at some point the Transit Access Committee will have need of it. Possibly.”

What a _troll_. Bly feels an eyebrow twitch. All day, _all day_ , Bly has been hunting down ‘that speech from the regent with the hair’ or ‘how much does the order spend on floor polish every quarter year’ or ‘Please inform Master Kenobi he’s overdue for a checkup and note the time he reports to medical’.

“You could have just _said_ , sir,” he says flatly.

General Windu hums. “Must have slipped my mind.”

What a _karking troll_.

Bly snatches his tea, aggrieved that it’s still very good. Windu doesn’t laugh at him.

“Well Commander,” Windu finally says once he’s finished his cup. “I am willing to overlook this.”

Bly knows that tone. He knows it well. “And in exchange?”

“Fox.”

The commander raises an eyebrow. “Fox?”

“Are they dating?”

Bly is suddenly regretful that he’s spent so much time missing out from temple life. He slowly starts to grin. “You have good stake in the pot then sir?”

“Never you mind that,” the Korun dismisses with a wave as if the suggestion was too ridiculous to leave in the air. Bly can’t help but laugh.

He’d thought General Secura was the exception, that the typical Jedi was much more reserved, distant, untouchable. Intimidating.

General Windu’s blank face could give Wolffe a run for his money. Bly’s starting to suspect the face is hiding the same type of humor.

“I can’t tell either sir,” he admits. General Windu hisses something annoyed. “They’re out together right now. Shopping for bookshelves.” The general looks interested, then tries to pretend he didn’t. “But they’re shopping for bookshelves because they were fighting in Fox’s office and destroyed his.” The general’s face shades to annoyed.

“And they’ve been out shopping for replacement Guard Office furniture all day,” General Windu drawls. He manages to pack _so much_ in each sarcastic word. Bly is truly speaking with a master.

“Well sir,” he pulls up the chat that Ponds has been pinging periodically throughout the day. “They’d found the perfect one about 13th hour. But it was wroshyr wood, and wroshyr logging on Kashyyyk is notoriously exploitative of the locals and Ponds just didn’t feel comfortable supporting that. And they have yet to find another that fit Fox’s professional aesthetic.”

There is pain in Windu’s expression. Bly can relate. He hurt just reading it.

“If it’s any consolation, I don’t think _they_ know if they’re dating.”

“I’m afraid that’s not nearly as comforting as you intended.” They share a look. Windu is clearly aware Bly didn’t intend anything of the sort.

The general sighs, thwarted in his quest for insider information. “Dismissed, Commander,” he says and levers himself out of his seat. “Do try not to let Ponds con you into anything else.”

Bly knows himself and he knows his brother. “I can promise nothing.”


End file.
